Shakhtar Donetsk in talks with Chelsea, Fulham, Brentford to play Champions League games in London

Shakhtar Donetsk have approached Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford about the possibility of playing Champions League games at their respective stadiums this season.

The Ukrainian club qualified for the group phase of the 2026-27 competition and are looking for a venue to play their home matches.

Shakhtar have not played at the Donbas Arena, in their home stadium in the east of Ukraine, since 2014, when Russian troops annexed Crimea and war broke out in the region. They have played their home European matches in Germany, Slovenia and Poland since the 2022-23 season.

The opportunity to play in London is under strong consideration and talks with all three clubs have taken place, according to sources with knowledge of discussions, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford are not competing in European competition themselves so will have their respective grounds available.

It would give the chosen club the opportunity to bring in some extra revenue because Shakhtar will pay them a fee.

Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge in its current guise is accustomed to hosting UEFA matches as the club have been regular participants in its competitions for the last 31 years. Fulham have enjoyed three campaigns (one UEFA Cup and two in the Europa League) at Craven Cottage since the turn of the century and the stadium’s capacity has now increased to just under 30,000.

Brentford only moved to the Gtech Community Stadium in 2020 and have yet to qualify for a UEFA tournament. However, it was used as one of the venues for the women’s European Championship in 2022. A women’s friendly between England and Australia was also played there a year later. A men’s competition, the Unity Cup, which involved Ghana, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica was held in 2025.